Mechanical speed ratchet

ABSTRACT

An elongated lever bar having a head on one end mounted for rotation about a first axis transverse to the centerline of the bar and a handle sleeve rotatably mounted on the other end of the bar for rotation relative thereto about the center axis of the bar. The deactivatable driving structure is provided and drivingly couples the handle sleeve to the head and the head and corresponding bar end include coacting reversible ratchet structure for allowing rotation of the head in either direction and preventing rotation of the head in the other direction relative to the bar.

United States Patent 1 1111 3,707,893 Hofman 1 51 Jan. 2, 1973 [54] MECHANICAL SPEED RATCHET FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [76] Inventor: Bernard L. Hofman, Bonanza 276,806 /1951 Switzerland ..8l/58 Trailer Court, Leommon Valley, Nev. 89502 Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr. [22] Filed Oct 1970 Att0rney-Clarence A. OBrien and Harvey B. Jacobson [21] Appl. No.: 82,410

[57] ABSTRACT 52 us. or ..8l/58.1,8l/57.29 An elongated lever bar having a head on one end 511 Int. Cl. ..B25b 13/00, B25b 17/00 mounted for rotation about a first axis transverse 5 Field of Search 1 5 5 1 5 2 5 3 584 the centerline Of the bar and a handle sleeve rotatably 81/57 5726 5 28 60 mounted on the other end of the bar for rotation relative thereto about the center axis of the bar. The deactivatable driving structure is provided and drivingly [56] References cued couples the handle sleeve to the head and the head UNITED STATES PATENTS and corresponding bar end include coacting reversible ratchet structure for allowing rotation of the head in 2,703,030 3/1955 Marvin ..8l/57.29 ith r dire tion and preventing rotation of the head in 735,134 McLean the other direction relative to the bar 2,603,976 7/1952 Hilton ..8l/57.29 X

872,633 12/1907 Anspach ..81/62 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures Oil Par! PATENTED 2 I973 3. 707 893 SHEET 2 0F 2 Bernard L. Hofman l N VE N TOR BY WWW MECHANICAL SPEED RATCHET The speed ratchet of the instant invention has been designed to provide a ratchet wrench which may be more effectively utilized in various different environments. A conventional ratchet wrench includes only structure whereby oscillation of the handle of the wrench will cause rotation of the head of the wrench for driving an associated socket member or the like. However, the speed ratchet of the instant invention includes a rotatable handle portion which may be selectively drivingly coupled to the head of the wrench, whereby rotary movement may be imparted to the head of the wrench by rotary movement of the sleeve handle. By this construction, should the speed ratchet be utilized in an area wherein oscillation of the handle portion of the wrench is limited to an arc of 10 or 15 and the nut or bolt with which the socket carried by the head of the wrench may be easily turned until just before being tightened, the rotatable handle sleeve of the speed ratchet may be rotated manually and without oscillation of the handle of the speed ratchet in order to more readily turn the associated nut or bolt until it becomes finger tight and it is necessary to further tighten the associated nut or bolt by oscillating the handle of the speed ratchet and utilizing the lever armaffordedby the handle in order to exert the required torque necessary to tighten the associated nut or bolt.

Although similar speed ratchets have been heretofore designed, they have not included means whereby the sleeve handle portion of the lever bar may be deactivated for free wheeling during normal ratcheting operation of the head of the wrench. Accordingly, one form of speed ratchet of the instant invention has been constructed in a manner whereby the driving connection between the rotatable sleeve handle and the head of the wrench may be deactivated for free rotation of the handlesleeve independent of rotation of the head of the wrench, thereby enabling the conventional ratchet mechanism to be utilized in converting oscillatory movement of the handle of the wrench into intermittent rotary movement of the head of the wrench and with the handle sleeve being freely rotatable for slight oscillation during flexing of the wrist of the user of the speed ratchet.

Two embodiments of speed ratchet constructed in accordance with the present invention are hereinafter illustrated and described in detail. Each of the speed ratchets operates in substantially the same manner, but different means are provided for deactivating the drive connection between the rotary handle sleeves and the rotary heads of the two forms of speed ratchets.

The main object of this invention is to provide a speed ratchet including means whereby rotation of the handle portion of the ratchet may be utilized to impart rotary movement to the head of the ratchet, independent of oscillation of the handle of the wrench.

Another object of this invention is to provide a manual speed ratchet constructed in accordance with the immediately preceding object and including novel means for selectively drivingly coupling the sleeve handle portion of the wrench to the rotary head portion thereof.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a speed ratchet in accordance with the preceding objects and which may be readily actuated so as to be converted from a conventional acting ratchet wrench to a speed-type wrench.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a manual speed ratchet in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first form of manual speed ratchet constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the center of the speed ratchet and with the rotary sleeve handle thereof in driving connection with the rotary head of the speed ratchet;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the longitudinal centerline of the speed ratchet illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the sleeve handle portion thereof deactivated so as not to be drivingly connected to the rotary head of the speed ratchet;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view of the end of the speed ratchet remote from the head end thereof;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a modified form of speed ratchet constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 7 but with the rotary sleeve handle of the modified form of speed ratchet deactivated;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 9-9 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line l0l0 of FIG. 7.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a first form of manual speed ratchet constructed in accordance with the present invention. The speed ratchet 10 includes an elongated lever bar assembly referred to in general by the reference numeral 12 including a head end 14 and a handle end 16.

The assembly consists of an elongated tubular member 18 including one externally threaded end portion 20 threadedly engaged in the threaded outer end portion of a bore 22 formed in a head end body 24. The body 24 includes a blind bore 26 disposed at right angles relative to the bore 22 and the blind bore 26 opens downwardly into a counterbore 28. The body 24 includes a removable lower end portion or section 30 removably secured to the remainder of the head end 14 by means of a plurality of threaded fasteners 32 and the lower portions of the counterbore 28 and the bore 22 are formed in the lower end portion or section 30. In addition, the lower end portion or section 30 includes a first recess 34 in which a spring-urged ratchet pawl 35 is oscillatably supported by means of a pivot pin 36 and a second recess 38 into which the spring 40 for the ratchet pawl 38 is seated.

A rotatable head 42 is rotatably journaled in the counterbore 28 and includes a shank portion 44 journaled in the blind bore 26. The head 42 includes a diametrically enlarged toothed portion 46 engageable by the ratchet pawl 35 and held captive in the counterbore 28 by means of the lower end portion or section 30 and the head 42 includes bevel gear teeth 48 disposed within the counterbore 28 and a non-circular extension 50 which projects outwardly of the head end 14 below the lower end portion or section 30. The extension 50 is square in cross-sectional shape and is therefore adapted to have a conventional socket removably engaged therewith.

The tube member 18 includes first and second circumferential grooves 52 and 54 which are enclosed within a sleeve handle 56 journaled on the end of the tube member 18 remote from the head end 14, the sleeve handle 56 including inwardly depressed ribs 58 and 60 extending circumferentially about the inner surfaces of the sleeve handle 56 and snugly received in the grooves 52 and 54. Thus, the sleeve handle 56 is rotatably journaled on the end of the tube member 18 remote from the head end 14 against axial shifting relative to the tube member 18.

The tube member 18 defines a longitudinal bore 62 extending therethrough. An elongated shaft 64 is rotatably journaled through the bore 62 and has a bevel gear 66 mounted on its ends disposed within the head end 14 and which is engageable with the bevel gear teeth 48 formed on the head 42. A thrust washer 68 is disposed on the shaft 64 immediately behind the bevel gear 66 and a compression spring 70 is disposed about the shaft 64 between the thrust washer 68 and the adjacent end of the tube member 18. Thus, the compres sion spring 70 normally serves to urge the shaft 64 to the right as viewed in FIG. 3 of the drawings so as to engage the bevel gear 66 with the bevel gear teeth 48.

The end of the sleeve handle 56 remote from the head end 14 is provided with an end wall 72 through which a bore 74 is formed. The end of the shaft 64 remote from the bevel gear 66 is received through the bore 74 and the end wall 72 includes a first shallow diametric endwise outwardly opening slot 76 and a second deeper endwise outwardly opening slot 78, under cut as at 79, disposed at right angles relative to the slot 76. The shaft 64 includes a crosshead 80 which is selectively engageable in either of the slots 76 and 78 and the crosshead 80 includes a bail type handle 82.

An O-ring 84 is seated in a groove provided therefor at the end of the bore 62 remote from the head end 14 and forms a seal between the tubular member 18 and the shaft 64. In addition, a setscrew 86 is provided for locking the tubular member 18 against disassembly from the head end 14 and the head end 14 includes an oil port 88 while the tubular member 18 includes an oil port 89 through which lubricating fluids may be admitted into the counterbore 28 for lubricating the teeth 48 and thus the bevel gear 66 and into the sleeve member 18 for lubricating the shaft 64.

The basic structure of the level bar assembly 12 is that of a conventional ratchet wrench. The ratchet pawl 35 within the recess 34 may be oscillated between 1 two limit positions by any convenient means (not shown) whereby oscillation of the lever bar assembly: about the axis of rotation of the head 42 may function to drive the head 42 in the selected direction of rotation. However, by providing the bevel gear 66 and the bevel gear teeth 48 as well as the shaft 64 which may be utilized to drivingly couple the sleeve handle 56 to the head 42, the crosshead may be seated in the deep slot 78 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings and slightly rotated into the under cut portions 79 thereof, if necessary, whereby the bevel gear 66 will be engaged with the teeth 48 and the rotation of the sleeve handle 56 about the tube member 18 will cause rotation of the head 42. However, when the shaft 64 is pulled to the right against the biasing action of the spring by the bail type handle 82 and longitudinally shifted a distance sufficient to withdraw the crosshead 80 from the slot 78, the shaft 74 may then be rotated 90 relative to the sleeve handle 56 and allowed to be shifted to the left under the biasing action of the spring so as to seat the crosshead 80 in the shallow slot 76 with the bevel gear 66 out of engagement with the teeth 48, see FIG. 4. In this manner, the sleeve handle 56 may be rotated relative to the tube member 18 independent of rotation of the head 42 relative to the head end 14.

With attention now invited more specifically to FIGS. 6 through 10 of the drawings, there maybe seen a second form of manual speed ratchet referred to in general by the reference numeral and whose head end corresponding to the head end 14 of the speed ratchet 10 is substantially identical. Accordingly, the head end of the speed ratchet 110 is not specifically illustrated and described herein. However, the various portions of the handle end of the manual speed ratchet 110 corresponding to the handle end 16 of the speed ratchet 10 are designated by corresponding referencenumerals in the 100 series.

The handle end 116 includes a removable end wall 172 for the sleeve handle 156 and the end of the bore 162 adjacent the removable end wall 172 if provided with diametrically opposite keyway recesses 178 in which the opposite ends of the crosshead 180 are receivable. In addition, the end of the tube member 118 adjacent the end wall 172 includes a longitudinally extending and endwise outwardly opening radial slot 118' in which an elongated actuator bar 1 19 is slidingly received. The end of the bar 119 adjacent the end wall 172 has a downwardly opening notch 121 formed therein in which a circumferential radially outwardly projecting rib 123 carried by the shaft 164 is seated. Accordingly, longitudinal oscillation of the bar 119 will cause longitudinal reciprocation of the shaft 164.

The tubular member 118 has a first radially outwardly opening recess 125 formed therein and a second radially outwardly opening recess 127 formed therein. In addition, the forward end of the bar 119 has a combined mounting plate and detent bar 129 mounted thereon and a thumb lever 131 is pivotally secured to the bar 129 as at 133 and spring-biased to the solid line position thereof illustrated in FIG. 8 of the drawings by means of a compression spring 135.

The front end of the sleeve handle 156 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced and forwardly opening recesses 137 in which the rear end of the bar 129 is receivable when the bar 119 is shifted rearwardly relative to the tubular member 118. The thumb lever 131 includes a detent 139 which is selectively receivable in the recesses 125 and 127, the recess 127 merely comprising the forward end of the slot 118'.

Each of the forward portions 141 of the sleeve handle 156 defined between adjacent notches or recessesv 137 supports a captive ball bearing 143 therefrom and each of the ball bearings is receivable in the circumferential groove 145 formed in the tubular member 118 and also a longitudinal notch 147 formed in the bar 119.

In operation, and assuming that the various components of the speed wrench 110 are positioned relative to each other as illustrated in FIG. 8 of the drawings, the shaft 164 is forwardly displaced so as to engage the associate bevel gears (not shown) whereby rotation of the sleeve handle 156 will be imparted to the shaft 164 through the crosshead 180 and thus cause the head of the speed wrench 110 corresponding to the head 42 to be rotated. Of course, the thumb lever 131 has its detent 139 received in the recess 125 and accordingly, the bar 119 is retained in its forwardly displaced position.

Should the rear end of the thumb lever 131 be depressed so as to withdraw the detent 139 from within the recess 125, the bar 119 may then be slid rearwardly relative to the tubular member 118 and the sleeve handle 156 until the detent 139 is registered with the recess 127, after which the thumb lever 131 may be released for spring-biased movement toward the solid line position thereof illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings.

Of course, as the bar 119 is rearwardly displaced, the shaft 164 is also rearwardly displaced and thus the bevel gear corresponding to the bevel gear 66 is axially displaced so as to be removed from engagement with the gear teeth corresponding to the teeth 48.

Accordingly, it may be seen that the operation of the speed wrench 110 is quite similar to the operation of the speed wrench 10, except that different means are utilized to axially shift the shafts 64 and 164 and to retain these shafts in their axially shifted positions.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An elongated lever bar including first and second ends, a head on one end of said bar mounted for rotation about a first axis transverse to said bar and a handle on the other end of said bar mounted for rotation about an axis generally parallel to said bar, deactivatable drive means drivingly connecting said handle to said head for rotation of the latter in response to rotation of the former, said head and one end of said bar including coacting means defining a reversible ratchet connection between said head and said bar, said dr've means inc udmg an actuator mounted on said bar or shifting between first and second positions toward and away from said head, means establishing a rotary connection between said actuator and said shaft for rotation of the latter relative to said actuator and against axial shifting of said shaft relative to said actuator, and latch means serving to releasably retain said actuator, and thus said shaft, in said limit positions.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said deactivatable drive means includes means automatically locking said handle against rotation relative to said bar when said drive means is deactivated.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said bar is tubular, said drive means including a drive shaft journaled through said tubular bar and axially shiftable relative thereto and gear means carried by said head and the adjacent end of said shaft and disposed in meshed engagement when said shaft is shifted toward said head and disposed out of meshed engagement when said shaft is shifted away from said head.

4. The combination of claim 3 including means yieldingly biasing said drive shaft toward said head.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said actuator and handle include coacting means retaining said handle against rotation relative thereto, and thus said bar, when said actuator is in said second position.

6. An elongated lever bar including first and second ends, a head on one end of said bar mounted for rotation about a first axis transverse to said bar and a handle on the other end of said bar mounted for rotation about an axis generally parallel to said bar, deactivatable drive means drivingly connecting said handle to said head for rotation of the latter in response to rotation of the former, and including a control portion shiftable longitudinally of said bar between active and inactive positions for activating and deactivating, respectively, said drive means, said head and one end of said bar including coacting means defining a reversible ratchet connection between said head and said bar, said control portion and said bar and handle including coacting means operative to automatically lock said handle against rotation relative to said lever bar in response to said control portion being shifted to said inactive position. 

1. An elongated lever bar including first and second ends, a head on one end of said bar mounted for rotation about a first axis transverse to said bar and a handle on the other end of said bar mounted for rotation about an axis generally parallel to said bar, deactivatable drive means drivingly connecting said handle to said head for rotation of the latter in response to rotation of the former, said head and one end of said bar including coacting means defining a reversible ratchet connection between said head and said bar, said drive means including an actuator mounted on said bar for shifting between first and second positions toward and away from said head, means establishing a rotary connection between said actuator and said shaft for rotation of the latter relative to said actuator and against axial shifting of said shaft relative to said actuator, and latch means serving to releasably retain said actuator, and thus said shaft, in said limit positions.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said deactivatable drive means includes means automatically locking said handle against rotation relative to said bar when said drive means is deactivated.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said bar is tubular, said drive means including a drive shaft journaled through said tubular bar and axially shiftable relative thereto and gear means carried by said head and the adjacent end of said shaft and disposed in meshed engagement when said shaft is shifted toward said head and disposed out of meshed engagement when said shaft is shifted away from said head.
 4. The combination of claim 3 including means yieldingly biasing said drive shaft toward said head.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said actuator and handle include coacting means retaining said handle against rotation relative thereto, and thus said bar, when said actuator is in said second position.
 6. An elongated lever bar including first and second ends, a head on one end of said bar mounted for rotation about a first axis transverse to said bar and a handle on the other end of said bar mounted for rotation about an axis generally parallel to said bar, deactivatable drive means drivingly connecting said handle to said head for rotation of the latter in response to rotation of the former, and including a control portion shiftable longitudinally of said bar between active and inactive positions for activating and deactivating, respectively, said drive means, said head and one end of said bar including coacting means defining a reversible ratchet connection between said head and said Bar, said control portion and said bar and handle including coacting means operative to automatically lock said handle against rotation relative to said lever bar in response to said control portion being shifted to said inactive position. 